A businessman allegedly threatened to rape a 14-year-old boy if he didn’t send indecent images of himself, a court heard today.

Laszlo Futo is also accused of sexual assaults on the teenager and subjecting him to a campaign of harassment on social media.

Police said they suspect the 30-year-old was about to return to his native Hungary when they arrested him in Belfast on Wednesday.

Futo, with an address at Inverary Drive in the East of the city, is charged with using a public electronic network to send indecent, obscene or menacing messages and two counts of sexual assault.

He faces further charges of inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity, common assault and harassment. The alleged offences cover a period between November 2014 and August 2015. At Belfast Magistrates’ Court Futo was refused bail due to risks he could flee or re-offend.

Opposing his release, a detective constable claimed the accused targeted the boy immediately after meeting him through his car valeting business. According to the teenager’s account Futo used Snapchat to exchange indecent images.

The detective said: “The defendant was saying to the injured party if you don’t send me pictures and meet me I will put you in the back of my white van, take you into the country and rape you.”

Futo had packed up his entire apartment when police detained him, the court heard. It was claimed that he told officers he was going back to Hungary. His phone was seized and found to contain photographs of young males of “borderline age” engaging in sexual activity, the detective alleged.

Under cross-examination he confirmed there was no evidence of Futo trying to contact any other boys. Defence counsel Declan Quinn told the court his client, a gay man, claims it was the alleged victim who first requested photos from him.

The barrister insisted: “He says the injured party in this case contacted him via his business Facebook page. He indicated to police that the 14-year-old boy had requested physical, sexual relations with the defendant.

“His instructions are that he told the injured party that he wouldn’t get engaged in anything physical.”

But denying bail, Deputy District Judge Joe Rice held there was a risk Futo could commit further offences or fail to turn up for any trial. He remanded the accused in custody to appear again by video-link next month.